The UAE's real estate sector recorded robust growth across all major emirates in H1 2026, underpinned by rising foreign investment, expanding development pipelines, and strengthened regulatory frameworks.
Dubai led with approximately AED 419.9 billion in total transactions, including AED 286.4 billion in property sales, while newly launched projects since January exceeded AED 275 billion – the largest half-year development pipeline in the emirate's history.
Abu Dhabi saw transactions more than double to AED 117 billion, up 112% year-on-year, with sales reaching AED 86.1 billion through 16,838 deals and FDI surging 309% to AED 13.8 billion – already exceeding the emirate's full-year 2025 inflow, with non-resident investors from 116 nationalities participating.
Sharjah recorded AED 29.5 billion in transactions, up 9.3%, attracting buyers from 121 nationalities, while Ajman posted AED 10.8 billion across 6,815 transactions, reflecting continued emirate-level diversification of the national market.
Gulf Economist Staff Writer